[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5254 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H.R. 5254

To establish the position of United States Special Envoy for Tibet, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 7, 1994

Mr. Berman (for himself, Mr. Gilman, Mr. Rose, Mr. Porter, Mr. Lantos, 
   Mrs. Unsoeld, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Mr. Abercrombie, Ms. Pelosi) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                            Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish the position of United States Special Envoy for Tibet, and 
                          for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Special Envoy for Tibet Act of 
1994''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) the Government of the People's Republic of China 
        withholds meaningful participation in the governance of Tibet 
        from Tibetans and has failed to abide by its own constitutional 
        guarantee of autonomy for Tibetans;
            (2) the Government of the People's Republic of China is 
        responsible for the destruction of much of Tibet's cultural and 
        religious heritage since 1959 and continues to threaten the 
        survival of Tibetan culture and religion;
            (3) the Government of the People's Republic of China, 
        through direct and indirect incentives, has established 
        discriminatory development programs which have resulted in an 
        overwhelming flow of Chinese immigrants into Tibet, including 
        those areas incorporated into the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, 
        Yunnan, Gansu, and Quinghai in recent years, and have excluded 
        Tibetans from participation in important policy decisions, 
        further threatening traditional Tibetan life;
            (4) the Government of the People's Republic of China denies 
        Tibetans their fundamental human rights, as reported in the 
        Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 
        for 1993;
            (5) the President and the Congress have determined that the 
        promotion of human rights in Tibet and the protection of 
        Tibet's religion and culture are important elements in United 
        States-China relations and have urged senior members of the 
        Government of the People's Republic of China to enter into 
        substantive negotiations on these matters with the Dalai Lama 
        or his representative;
            (6) the Dalai Lama has repeatedly stated his willingness to 
        begin substantive negotiations without preconditions; and
            (7) the Government of the People's Republic of China has 
        failed to respond in a good faith manner by reciprocating a 
        willingness to begin negotiations without preconditions, and no 
        substantive negotiations have begun.

SEC. 3. POSITION OF UNITED STATES SPECIAL ENVOY FOR TIBET.

    (a) Establishment of Position.--There shall be within the 
Department of State a United States Special Envoy for Tibet, who shall 
be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of 
the Senate. The United States Special Envoy for Tibet shall hold office 
at the pleasure of the President.
    (b) Rank of Ambassador.--The United States Special Envoy for Tibet 
shall have the personal rank of ambassador.

SEC. 4. RESPONSIBILITIES.

    (a) Authorities.--The United States Special Envoy for Tibet is 
authorized and encouraged--
            (1) to promote substantive negotiations between the Dalai 
        Lama or his representatives and senior members of the 
        Government of the People's Republic of China;
            (2) to promote good relations between the Dalai Lama and 
        his representatives and the United States Government, including 
        meeting with members or representatives of the Tibetan 
        government-in-exile; and
            (3) to travel regularly throughout Tibet and Tibetan 
        refugee settlements.
    (b) Duties.--The United States Special Envoy for Tibet shall--
            (1) consult with the Congress on policies relevant to Tibet 
        and the future and welfare of all Tibetan people;
            (2) coordinate United States Government policies, programs, 
        and projects concerning Tibet; and
            (3) report to the Secretary of State regarding the matters 
        described in section 536(a)(2) of the Foreign Relations 
        Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1994 and 1995 (Public Law 103-
        236).
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